Parliament of Dreams
The Parliament of Dreams History When David ap Gwydion was still a childling, he brought the commoner leaders together with the sidhe. Together, they signed the Treaty of Concord, declaring that the Sidhe will administrate the land in a supervisory position, but not have the power over the commoners they once did, a form of constitutional feudalism. He declared this land to henceforth be named Concordia, in honor of the trust which both sides swore to place in the others word, so that neither would forget the promise they had made. It was during this time that he established a Parliament of Dreams, where all Kithain would have an equal voice, and nobles would not be able to simply override commoner concerns. The nobility would have to answer to the High King David, called by many the Lion of Tara for his bravery and honor, and he would not tolerate the mistreatment of his subjects. The Parliament of Dreams is the official governing body of Concordia. King David founded the Parliament in 1971, in the hope of offering the commoners a voice in their own governance. Representatives (called Advocates) may be sent to the Parliament by every freehold with a membership over 15. Given their disproportionate power over the freeholds, the sidhe, while not a majority of the body, still hold the balance of power. Makeup With over 40 percent of the seats in the Parliament, the sidhe would seem to have an almost guaranteed plurality every time. The sidhe are not monolithic in their policies, however, and there are many splits in their power structure. Commoners and commoner nobles fare little better in their attempts at unity; thus much of the government is done through coalition. With their numbers and their ability to sway people through charisma and rhetoric, the Principler sidhe get their way on most issues. There is, however, enough opposition to them that the proper coalition of commoners and more moderate sidhe, and commoner interests can occasionally thwart their plans. Laws passed by the Parliament are subject to approval by the nobility in the territory affected by the law. Unfortunately, the Parliament does not yet have the power to enforce its edicts against the face of a consolidated resistance by the nobility. The sidhe representation in the Parliament of Dreams is far out of proportion to its numbers in the general population (only 5% of all kithain in Concordia are sidhe). Because of this, many commoners feel that the Parliament is something of a farce. The mood of the Parliament is somewhat akin to that of the English Parliament. It is lively and animated, punctuated by verbal jibes. The Parliament is guarded by a cohort of Red Branch knights, a long-standing order of King David. The Nine High Lords Nine lords watch over the Earth-bound Houses of the Sidhe. Five are of the Seelie Court, three are of the Unseelie Court, and one is a madman who claims to speak for the Shadow Court. Though it is rare for all nine to gather together, collectively they speak for their respective families. Each holds a great measure of influence within the Parliament of Dreams. They have also developed an entourage to travel across the terrestrial sphere to gather information about House politics. In defiance of the Arcadian Sidhe who exiled them, they refer to themselves as the High Lords of the Fallen World.